The Master of the Tower, pt 1
by Ramenlord
Summary: 2k9 Halloween Special. After a long abscence, the Master of Pokemon Tower returns to Lavender Town with a mysterious plan and a hidden agenda. Rated M for some violence and occasional foul language.
1. Prologue

A/N: Alright, a few words about this story. First, it was intended as a Halloween surprise, and I did in fact have it all finished and written on Friday night. Unfortunately, I, as I have many times before, grossly underestimated the time it takes to type an entire story, as well as how much I would be distracted by the gaia Halloween event (those things are too addicting!). Still, here it is, only a day late. Next thing, I wrote this story in three days. THREE FRICKING DAYS!!!! Trust me when I say I am NEVER EVER going to do that again. EVER. Thirdly, this story marks the start of a new Halloween tradition for me: every Halloween (my favorite holiday) I am going to write a fic especially for that purpose, hence my second point. These fics will, at least at first, all be sequential, and reveal bits of plot and backstory on my fun new villian. Take these statements as you will, and it would be super-duper awesome if you reviewed. Thx for reading.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or any of it's characters. I only own my OC's and plots.

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Prologue- Portentous Plotting

All was quiet in Lavender Town as a solitary figure approached over the mountains. A slight frown crossed her face as she looked down upon the sleepy town, illuminated by the light of the near-full moon. Yes, it was quiet. Too quiet. And she couldn't sense his presence anywhere.

She shook her head slightly as she moved slowly down towards the sleeping town. He must've left. She couldn't really blame him. After all, she had been gone a long time. Ah well. She would just have to do something to get his attention. And maybe, she thought, a grin spreading across her face, have a little bit of fun at the same time.

As she reached the large tower that was the town's only defining characteristic, she looked up and her grin widened. Yes, she remembered this place. The Master of the Tower had returned, and it was good to be home.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or any of their characters. I only own OCs and my plots.

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Chapter 1- Ominous Occurrences

"Finally! It's about time we got out of that cave!"

Joe Smith yawned and stretched, wincing at his aching muscles. After a long, hard trek through Rock Tunnel, Joe and his Pokémon team just wanted some food and a place to stay the night. Well, almost all of them.

"Wow, I can't believe it's night time already!" cried Tangela, running here and there to explore the new location.

"Yeah, well I can," grumbled Gyarados, recently released into a nearby river. "A whole day spent cooped up in a stupid little ball. What a waste of my time."

"Oh, sure, you can complain," retorted Exeggutor, her usually cheerful face currently wearing a frown. "You're not the one whose feet feel about to fall off from tripping over rocks in a dark cave all day."

"Look, we've all had a rough day," said Graveler, taking on her usual role of mediator, "so let's just get to Lavender Town where we can rest."

"Yeah, sure," agreed Joe, too tired to argue with any of them at the moment, and the group trudged on under the light of the full moon.

As they entered the town, the group stopped, staring up at the famous Pokémon Tower. It sure is bigger than I thought it would be, thought Joe. He turned back towards the neon lights of the Pokémon center, and jumped suddenly as he realized that there was a short, aged man standing in front of him and staring at Joe with an intense gaze.

"Youuuu…," he croaked, raising a bony hand to point a finger at Joe, whose eyes widened as he took a step back from the man.

"M-me?" asked Joe.

The old man was silent for a moment, then, "Beware, the Master has returned to the tower. On the night of All Hallows' Eve, she shall rise, and many shall fall, leaving only one, and one alone to face her." Then, he turned around and walked away, leaving Joe to stare after him in bewilderment.

"Uhh… right. Well, let's go, shall we?" said Exeggutor, slightly amused at the strange actions of the old man, and the group entered the Pokémon center.

Later that night, after a meal and a rest, Joe sat awake in his room, his Pokémon asleep beside him, staring out the window up at Pokémon Tower, silhouetted against the light of the full moon. All Hallows' Eve… that was tonight. "The Master has returned to the tower…" what "Master?" He'd never heard of any such thing, and as for the "many shall fall," part, well… The man had been rather old. Perhaps it was just superstition and dementia.

Suddenly, something caught his eye, and he looked up. What was… yes, there! Up at the top of the tower, he thought he could see a small, red light, moving about. What was it? It was so… pretty. As it slowly moved back and forth, he watched it, his head unconsciously swaying with it.

Baack and foorth…

Baaack and fooorth…

Then, all of a sudden it flashed bright red, illuminating everything for a second, until everything, including Joe's consciousness, went black.


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or any of their characters. I only own OCs and my plots.

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Chapter 2- Deadly Dreamland

When Joe next regained awareness, it was to find himself sitting in a large armchair in the center of a small, otherwise bare, room. Directly across from him was a large, ornate wooden door. Looking around, he saw his Pokémon (aside from the currently recalled Gyarados) slowly regaining consciousness around him, and his Pokéballs were still attached to his belt. Aside from that, however, his possessions were gone.

"Ugh… hey, where are we?" asked a confused Exeggutor, looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings.

"Yeah, this isn't the Pokémon Center," agreed Tangela, looking confused.

"I don't know," said Joe, "but I think that old man may have been right." He proceeded to tell them what he had seen that night, about how the red light had flashed and he'd lost consciousness.

Suddenly, a feminine voice came from the door, saying, "Oh, well that's good. I'm glad **someone** was awake for all of that. Otherwise it would've been a huge waste of time."

Joe spun around to look at the door, but there was no one there.

"Who's that?" he asked, sounding braver than he felt. "Sh-show yourself!"

"No, not yet. I'll come, but not right now."

"Where are we?" asked Exeggutor, slightly scared.

"Hmm… no, I don't think I'll tell you that yet either. All you really need to know right now is what you have to do. You see, I only recently got back in town, and it seemed so… boring. So, I decided to play a little game with all of you. It is Halloween after all, and what's the fun in that without some good scares?" The voice laughed, then continued, "As such, my challenge to you is this. Somewhere hidden around here is a "key" of some sort, maybe a literal one, maybe not. Finding this key will allow you to reach the next area of my game, and, eventually, me. If any of you succeed at finding me, you win a fabulous prize, and all of you are returned, along with the rest of the town, to your homes. If none of you succeed… well… let's not talk about that right now. Anyways, the game begins… now!"

As soon as she fell silent, Joe jumped as the room began to shake. He looked around wildly for the source of the shaking, then looked upwards towards the ceiling…

…which was rapidly falling down towards their heads! He gasped, and cried, "Quick, everybody out!" then ran for the door. He flung it open and they all piled out as the chair recently vacated by Joe was crushed under ten feet of brick and concrete.

"Whew…," gasped Graveler, "that… was too close."

"Yeah," agreed Tangela, "we almost lost before we even started. So what do we do now?"

"The only thing we can do," said Joe, "hurry up and win this crazy "game" so we can get out of here."

With this new objective, the group looked around. They appeared to be in a long stone hallway, lit only dimly by candles placed at long intervals. The floor was damp, and from somewhere they could hear the "drip… drip… drip…" of falling water. Seeing as there was only one way they could go, the group set off down the corridor, nervously looking over their shoulders as they went. Despite their worries, nothing attacked them as they walked down the corridor, and Joe was finally starting to calm down a bit, when Exeggutor shouted, "Wait! I see something up ahead!" They stopped, and Joe, peering into the near darkness ahead, thought he could see a faint silvery glow emanating from around a corner about ten yards distant. The group proceeded slowly, with caution, then, turning the corner, saw… a key! About five inches long and glowing with a silvery light, it floated in the air halfway up the corridor about 40 yards away from them.

"It's the key!" cried Tangela, and the group ran forward, hopeful to end this "game" quickly. Then, when they were halfway there, they all tripped and fell, landing in a heap on the cold floor. Confused, Joe sat up and looked around, when, as it had a moment ago, the corridor shuddered, the walls distorting rapidly and the ground writhing. He gasped, and tried futilely to crawl toward the key, when, to his horror, the corridor seemed to stretch, the key shooting rapidly away from him. He cried out in despair, then the floor, still rapidly writhing, seemed to disappear, beneath him and he was falling… falling into inky blackness that held no escape…

And then he wasn't. One moment he was falling and screaming, and the next he was standing in what felt like a waist high pool of water, surrounded by pitch black. Then, slowly, a sickly green light appeared with no apparent source, illuminating everything dimly and equally, so everything looked eerily two-dimensional. Looking around, he saw his Pokémon, seemingly just as confused as he was. His first assumption had been right: they were standing in a pool of water, three or so feet deep and extremely murky. This pool extended out far around them, where it faded into black, the strange illumination obviously not reaching that far.

"Where are we now?" asked Tangela, looking around in confusion.

"I don't kn…," Joe started to say, when he was cut off by a sudden yelp from Exeggutor, who was staring down at the water in fear.

"What is it?" asked Joe.

"I-I felt something moving in the water," said Exeggutor, shuddering. "It felt… scaly, slimy."

Images of tentacles and slashing teeth rose involuntarily to Joe's mind, which he forcibly quelled, shuddering. Then, all of a sudden, something rose up out of the water in front of him, and he let out a yell, jumping back, before he realized what it was. Floating in front of them was a Dratini. He sighed in relief. Dratini, though shy, were known to be friendly, weren't they? Then he noticed that this Dratini had fangs. He gasped again, this time in terror, and the Dratini hissed, slipping back under the murky waters. Then, with a giant splash, it reappeared, launching itself at Joe's head. He yelled again, and jumped to the side, barely avoiding it as it sailed past him. After that, as if an unspoken signal had been given, the waters seemed to come alive, with monstrous Dratini leaping out from every side. Panicking, Joe released Gyarados, yelling for him to help them.

Gyarados, having heard the mysterious challenge from inside his ball and expecting much worse, snorted when he realized he was supposed to fight a crowd of Dratini. Well, a nice Thunderbolt ought to finish them all off. He began to charge one up, his scales sparking with electricity, when, to his great annoyance, a Dratini leapt up and latched onto his neck, its fangs sinking in between his scales. He roared, losing the concentration for his attack as he tried to reach around and pick off this irritating attacker, but it was too far up for him to reach. Slightly worried at the weakness he was beginning to feel, he thrashed about, attempting to dislodge it. Eventually his thrashes began to get weaker and weaker, and he felt his life force leaving him… getting smaller… smaller… until all that was left of the once mighty Gyarados was a Magikarp, splashing around, attracting the attention of the other Dratini, who swarmed it, eager to feast on the kill.

Joe, seeing this, hurriedly recalled his Pokémon and ran, hoping to get away while they were distracted. He was only somewhat successful in this venture, as six or seven Dratini broke away to follow him, leaping through the water. Joe kept running, the green light seeming to follow him as he went, illuminating the water around him. Then, out of the darkness rose a brick wall, and in the center of it was a dark opening, which Joe ran into without hesitation. His spirits rose as he saw, about twenty yards deeper into the tunnel, a silver glow. Could it be? As he continued running, his hope was reinforced as he recognized the shape of a familiar silver key, floating in midair, than fell as he saw the dark grate covering it. Still, he had nowhere else to go, and the pack of killer Dratini had reached the entrance of the tunnel, so he ran up to the gate. Beyond it he could see the key, and beyond it, a large keyhole in the back wall of the tunnel. Looking around frantically for some mechanism to open the grate, he spotted a keypad on the wall, with four large square buttons and a smaller one in the center. Hurriedly, he jabbed his finger into the center button. To his dismay, the grate did not open. Instead, the upper left button lit up and died, then the lower left, then the upper right, then the lower left… The sequence was long, and Joe, who'd never been good at memory games, frantically tried to repeat it, but failed, causing all of the buttons to flash, and a laughing sound came from some unknown speaker. Looking over his shoulder at the rapidly approaching Dratini, he mashed the center button, waiting for the sequence to replay. Upper left, lower left, upper right, lower left, lower right, lower right, upper left. His palms sweaty, he replicated the code exactly this time, causing the buttons to flash and the grate to slowly, too slowly, slide up into the ceiling. He ducked down, shoving himself through the gap, then grabbed the key, thrusting it into the lock and twisting it, spinning around just in time to see a maddened Dratini leaping at his face with a shriek…

…then everything flashed white and disappeared.

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A/N: Yay, vampire Dratini. Lol.


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or any of their characters. I only own OCs and my plots.

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Chapter 3- Treacherous Tombstones

Joe shook his head, blinking his eyes rapidly after the blinding white flash, then looked around. A field… they were in a field. He reached down and released his Pokémon, staring around at the, once again, unceasing landscape around them. It was lit by the light of the full moon, and dense fog limited his vision, but he thought he saw something off in the distance… a silvery light. He pointed it out to his team, and, wary of traps, he slowly moved towards it, his Pokémon following in silence, and as far as he could tell, it seemed to be getting closer. Unfortunately, he was watching it so carefully, he wasn't paying attention to where he was going, and he tripped over something hard and fell, sprawling on the grass. He groaned and sat up, turning to look back at the silver light, but it had vanished. He swore, then turned around to look at what he had tripped over. It was a gravestone, specifically the gravestone of a James Furrows, 1771-1821. He stepped away from it, wary. After all, stranger things had happened already… He waited a moment, and when the occupant of the grave didn't emerge, thirsting for brains, he sighed in relief, sitting on top of the gravestone and looking around again. From where he was now, he could see that the "field" around them was peppered with tombstones, and off in the distance, he could see the foggy shape of some large building, possibly a crypt or mausoleum.

"This… this is a graveyard," whispered Joe, blanching.

"Yeah, I guess it is," agreed Graveler, her face indifferent. "What now?"

"Uhh… well, let's go check out that mausoleum," answered Joe, and the group headed towards it. It was large, ornate, and made of stone, the entrance covered by a large stone door that appeared to push inwards.

"Hey, Graveler, do you mind opening that door?" asked Joe, and she nodded, moving to do as he asked. As she went to touch the door, however, there was a bright flash of light and she was pushed back as though electrocuted. When his vision returned to normal, Joe gasped. Now floating in front of the door was a wall of glowing red symbols, swirling about. Then, as he watched, they stopped moving, and suddenly burst away, flying deep into the graveyard and disappearing into the fog. Then, he heard a sudden groaning sound echo from out of the mist, then another and another. Even as he watched, a hand, greenish and rotting, burst out from the grass by the nearby tombstone, and he cried out, "Dammit! I knew it!" and rushed towards the door, pushing frantically on it and moving it half an inch inward. When Graveler ran forward to help him, however, she was pushed back, along with Exeggutor and Tangela. Apparently the barrier could only be passed by humans.

Joe continued his assault on the door, moving it another inch or so in, but behind him, a shambling mob of zombies had formed, their putrefying limbs swinging, blood leaking from empty eye sockets, noses flaring as they moved together towards the smell of fresh blood. Not only that, but the Pokémon's attacks seemed to have no effect whatsoever on them. Joe re-doubled his efforts, and moved another few inches, but it still wasn't open enough to slip through, and his time was running out.

"This isn't working!" cried out Tangela, shooting ineffective Razor Leaves at the zombies. Exeggutor paused, then said, "You're right, we need more time." Then she turned and looked at Joe, an unusual look on her face as she said, calmly, "Joe, I have an idea. Whatever happens, keep pushing on that door."

"What're you talking about?" asked Joe, and she smiled.

"Goodbye, Joe," she said, and in a flash of white light she disappeared, teleporting directly into the flood of zombies, who stopped, turning inward to catch the easier prey.

"NO!!!" cried out Joe, and tears sprang to his eyes, but he angrily shook them away. Now was not the time. First, he had to make sure her sacrifice wasn't in vain. He pushed on the door harder than ever before, and, after a few moments, he squeezed through, recalling his Pokémon and looking around inside. It was bare inside, and near the back floated a silver key. Sighing, he walked forward, intending to grab the key, when, only a foot away from his destination, he cursed as he felt the floor, once again, falling out from beneath him. He cried out, reaching desperately for the shining silver key, but he was too late, and he fell down for the second time into darkness.


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or any of their characters. I only own OCs and my plots.

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Chapter 4- Mournful Maze

Once again, Joe was falling down into a blackness that had no end, and then, once again, he wasn't. He stumbled a bit this time as his body made the awkward transition from free-fall to standing, then hurriedly straightened and looked around. He was standing on a small stone platform, bordered on three sides by steep drop-offs and on the other by a stone staircase, leading downward into a giant labyrinth of twisting passages and stone walls. Releasing his Pokémon, he groaned in frustration. A maze! The sick bastard was putting them through a maze like some captive Rattata, trying to reach the silver "cheese" at the end.

"You've got to be kidding me!" groaned Tangela. "A maze? God only knows what's waiting for us in here." As if in response to his statement, an unearthly howl rose up from the dark passageways, causing Joe to wince as it echoed eerily.

"Let's just keep our voices down, shall we?" he whispered, shooting a glance at Tangela, and they moved down the stairs, cautious for any traps. They reached the bottom without incident, where they were faced with a problem, specifically, a three-way branch in the path.

"Which way do we go?" asked Graveler, to which Tangela immediately replied, "Left."

Having no better suggestions, Joe shrugged and the group proceeded down the left corridor. They continued in this way for some time, occasionally reaching a branch and deciding at random which path to take. The were traversing a long corridor in silence when suddenly the howl sounded again, and Joe shuddered. It sounded much closer this time. Then, he cocked his head in confusion, listening closer. Faintly, he could hear something else, a soft whirring noise. Bewildered, he took a step forward, staring into the darkness ahead. Then, all of a sudden, a swarm of flying creatures burst out of the black, swarming the group. He shrieked and started swatting the beasts away, realizing as he felt their sharp teeth prick his hands that they were Zubat, sharp screeches coming from their leech-like mouths. Over this cacophony, he shouted, "Graveler, Rock Throw!" She obliged, and Joe heard the occasional sharp squeak as her attacks hit their marks. Realizing that their numbers were dwindling, the Zubat retreated, flying back into the darkness.

"Whew, that was close," sighed Joe, looking over his companions. Tangela was the worst off, having suffered a number of super-effective flying type attacks. Graveler looked relatively unharmed, her tough rock-like skin repelling the attacks, but she still seemed shaken. As for Joe, his hands were punctured in numerous places and bleeding, but the wounds were all superficial. He would heal. Unnerved, the group continued on, eventually coming to a large open space in the maze, where they stopped to rest their weary legs, or, in Tangela's case, feet.

Joe was in the middle of sliding down the wall to rest on the ground when another howl rose up, definitely close this time, and echoing all around him. He started to stand up, when a number of figures appeared from the darkness on either side of them, trapping the group. He cursed, and surveyed the group moving in on them with malevolent intent. There were seventeen of them in total, fourteen Growlithes, feral and wild, with three larger, evolved Arcanines. He cursed again, moving into the center of the clearing as his Pokémon shifted to either side of him, protecting their master. He gulped. From what he could tell, the Growlithes weren't as high level as his Pokémon were, but there were quite a lot of them, and the Arcanines too… Not wanting to give them the advantage of the first attack, he cried out, "Graveler, use Rock Slide! Tangela, use Sludge Bomb!"

His Pokémon followed his orders, Graveler tearing a huge mass of rocks from the ground and throwing them at the pack, crushing three of the feral monsters. Meanwhile, Tangela shook his vines rapidly, a large quantity of purple acid shooting out. The majority of it landed on two of the pups, fainting them immediately, and some of the acid splashed onto two nearby Growlithes as well as one of the Arcanines, poisoning them. The remaining members of the pack snarled and leapt forward, spewing fire and snapping with dark-infused jaws. Graveler, due to her rock type advantage, was relatively unharmed, but Tangela received some severe burns, and Joe, fearing for his Pokémon's safety, returned him, leaving one side unguarded. Still, using only one Pokémon had its advantages.

"Graveler, use Earthquake!"

Graveler grinned, then leapt up into the air, spinning rapidly as she came down and smashed into the ground, creating deep ripples that passed harmlessly under Joe. To the fire types, however, it had a much more profound effect, flinging them into the walls and fainting them all easily. Re-releasing Tangela, Joe sighed in relief, and the group continued onward. They wandered for what seemed the greater part of an hour, when suddenly Joe gasped and ran ahead. Down at the end of the corridor, above the wall, he could se a faint silvery glow. Surely they were getting close! He spun around a corner in the path, coming face-to-face with… a dead end.

"Damn it! Damn it!" he cursed, kicking the wall in frustration. They were so close, and now they had to backtrack who-knew-how-far and leave the area completely! He felt a hand fall on his shoulder, and he turned around to see Graveler, a smile on her face as she said, "I have an idea."

His eyes narrowed suspiciously as he asked, "What kind of idea?" After all, the last time he'd heard that phrase… well, better not to think on that now. Graveler's smile disappeared sadness at her lost friend filling her heart, but she said, "No, not that kind of idea. Just watch."

She sat down, curled up into a ball, and rolled down the corridor, away from the key. Then, as she neared the end, she turned around sharply, picking up speed for her Rollout attack. She sped down the corridor, barreling into the wall, which crumbled under her assault. She continued through a few more walls, until, through the hole, a pedestal glowing with the silvery light signifying a key came into view. Unfortunately, so did the large pit surrounding it. Going too fast to stop, she fell in, her last act a surprised cry as the blackness swallowed her.

"Graveler!!!" cried out Joe and Tangela in unison, both running to the edge of the pit, but there was nothing they could do. With grim faces, Tangela hoisted Joe up in his vines, raising him up to the platform. Recalling Tangela, Joe stepped forward, finding a small silver button on a pedestal, which he pushed. A single tear dripped from his eye as everything disappeared in a flash of white.


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or any of their characters. I only own OCs and my plots.

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Chapter 5- Fearsome Friends…

Joe reappeared in a Pokémon battle arena. Looking around in the bright white light, he realized it was empty. Wary, he released the weakened Tangela, glancing around for the key, which he soon spotted. It was up by the ceiling, placed in a small iron cage, easily within attacking range. Too easily.

Warier still, he ordered, "Tangela, Razor Leaf on that cage." Obediently, Tangela obliged, sending razor sharp leaves flying at the weak looking cage. They bounced off as if made of rubber. Joe sighed, not really expecting it to work, then looked back down at the ground. Obviously, they had to do something to get the key. He soon found out what. Suddenly standing in front of the two were his Pokémon. Gyarados, Exeggutor, and Graveler. And yet, something about them was wrong. Their eyes were too fierce, their expressions too bestial. Yet it was undoubtedly them. And, apparently, he was supposed to fight them. He sighed and raised his hand, ready to order Tangela to Razor Leaf Graveler… and then he let his hand fall. He couldn't do it. He didn't know why, but something at his very core rebelled. It was just wrong somehow, having raised and cared for these Pokémon, and now fighting them… he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead, he called out, "Tangela, Sleep Powder." Confused, Tangela looked over at him, but followed his orders, shaking vigorously to release a soft, green powder which wafted over to their former companions. As it reached them, they breathed it in, and their eyelids started to fall… until a sharp, clear note sounded through the arena, and their eyes snapped open. Joe, recognizing the sound of a Pokéflute, looked around the stadium wildly, but he didn't see anyone there. He sighed, and, bitterly cursing fate, sat down, awaiting his own destruction at the hands of those he still considered friends. He heard them coming closer and closer… and still he did not move.

Then, the footsteps stopped, and he heard a laugh, soft and full of mirth, resonate throughout the arena. His eyes snapped open and he scanned the room. There, standing in the shadows by the wall, was a girl, her face cloaked in shadow. It was she who was laughing. She continued to do so for a moment more, then stopped, saying, "Well, now isn't this a disappointment. After all of this, you reach my final challenge and you give up. Sad really, considering that you're the only one in this entire village that made it this far." She sighed and shook her head, long brown hair flashing as it moved in and out of the shadows.

Annoyed, Joe retorted, "I will not fight my friends. This sick "game" of yours ends now."

To his even greater annoyance, she just laughed again, replying, "Yes, I suppose it does. Or it will in a moment. You see, I'm getting rather bored. As well, Halloween's almost over, and it doesn't seem to have worked for the purpose I originally intended it to. So…," she snapped her fingers. Immediately, the arena disappeared, and all of the Pokémon fell down into the darkness. Joe and the girl remained standing, although Joe didn't know on what. She snapped her fingers once more, and both she and the cage around the key vanished, allowing the key to float down gently into Joe's outstretched hands, and everything flashed white once again.


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or any of their characters. I only own OCs and my plots.

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Chapter 6- …and Friendly Foes

When the bright white light faded, Joe found himself in a location unlike any other he had visited that night. Rather than some horrific dungeon as he was halfway expecting, he was standing in a large, comfortable sitting room, the walls made of stone with wide windows letting in the light of the still full moon. Underneath him was a thick, plush red carpet, and in front of him, facing a roaring fireplace on the other side of the room, stood the girl. Without turning around, she said, "Well, congratulations. You've won my game."

Exceedingly annoyed by this point, Joe moved towards her, saying, "Why you… how dare you do this! All those people… Pokémon… all dead! How could you?!"

She laughed, saying, "Oh, no, they're not dead. I thought you would've realized by now. It wasn't real, any of it. Just dreams. Like this form I made for myself. A combination of wishful thinking and nostalgia." With that, she turned around to face him, and he gasped. As she did so, her shape seemed to dissolve, the teenage girl disappearing, to be replaced by something else.

She floated about three feet in the air, looking vaguely like a tiny person with a large head, although her skin was a dark purple, almost black. Around her was wrapped a wispy cloak of the same color which seemed oddly insubstantial, bits and pieces tearing off and reforming elsewhere. Around her waist were a series of bright red stones, shaped like eyes, with dark pupils down their centers. Oh her head was what looked like a large wizard's hat, also insubstantial, with an eye-like jewel in its center as well. Surprised, Joe pulled out his Pokédex, pointing it at what he assumed was a Pokémon. Sure enough, a picture appeared on the screen, and its electronic voice said, "Mismagius, Magical Pokémon. Native to the Sinnoh and occasionally Jhoto regions, it has the ability to chant incantations, bringing torment or great happiness upon the target." Joe blinked. Sinnoh? But that was far, far away from Kanto, what was a Mismagius doing here? Then, noticing something, he peered closer at the picture. Not only was its location strange, but the Mismagius pictured in the Pokédex was different looking. It didn't have a jewel in its hat, and the jewels around its waist were simple red orbs, not eyes. Thoroughly confused, he looked up at the Mismagius/girl, who was smiling at him mischievously.

"What…,"

"Call me Jess," interrupted the Mismagius, her grin widening.

"Fine, Jess then, what are you doing here?" He finished, slightly annoyed still, despite the fact that this was all a dream.

"Hmm… I could tell you, but that would take a long time, and I'd have to tell you again later anyways, so it'd be a big waste of time. Besides, I can't wait to give you your prize!"

He frowned, and said, "But…," then stopped, giving up as she moved forward, putting a ghostly hand over his mouth.

"Shh… Take this," she said, still grinning, and she dropped something into his hand. He looked down at it and saw that it was a red jewel, eye-shaped, like one of the ones on Jess. He looked back up at her and said, "Fine. I won your game. Now, bring everyone back."

She sighed, her face turning sad for a moment, saying, "Alright, alright. They're all going back now," as though a child being told to put away her playthings. Then she smiled again, and, as the room began to glow white, added, "Just remember, I'll be back next year."

Joe woke up with a start, shaking his head and looking around their room in the Pokémon Center. There, sleeping next to him, were his precious Pokémon, safe and sound. He let out a sigh of relief as looked out of the window at the rising sun. That was when he felt the jewel clutched in his hand, red as blood and staring up at him.

_Many miles away, in a cave deep within Rock Tunnel, a creature stirred. For the first time in years, it had felt something, someone nearby. Could it be her? Slowly, a pink eyelid twitched, and opened, gazing out upon the world._

To be continued...

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A/N: Well, there you have it. Master of the Tower, pt. 1. Reviews are nice, tell me what you think.


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